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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. game — a match
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. kick — in football
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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