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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a tool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rush — hurry
  16. court — for sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. wake — a trail
  23. court — of law
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com