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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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468
Word bank
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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. kid — to tease
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. present — a gift
  7. vault — a safe
  8. present — the time now
  9. bass — low music
  10. chip — to eat
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. content — happy
  13. present — there
  14. toast — bread
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kid — child
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bass — the fish
  21. content — the amount
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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