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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 120 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. season — of the year
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. season — in sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. board — a committee
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cap — a lid
  15. board — to get on
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kick — in football
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. shower — rain
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cap — a hat
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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