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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. spring — a coil
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — the season
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. present — the time now
  20. cell — a phone
  21. spring — of water
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kick — in football

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