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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. clip — a video
  6. roll — a list
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. vault — a safe
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ball — a dance
  12. roll — a cake
  13. spring — the season
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spring — a coil
  21. charge — a price
  22. spring — of water
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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