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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 116 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a document
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. file — a tool

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