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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. vault — a safe
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. spring — of water
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pit — in a race

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