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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. drill — army training
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. net — for catching
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. foot — a measure
  12. drill — a practice
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. season — of the year
  15. bark — to shout
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. roll — a cake
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. net — in sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. roll — a list

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