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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — of the year
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. key — for a lock
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. season — in sport
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. key — in music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cue — for pool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. roll — a list
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cue — a hint

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