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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. sharp — clever
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bark — to shout
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. object — a thing
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. object — an aim
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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