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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. vault — a safe
  5. face — part of the head
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mug — a face
  12. content — happy
  13. plane — a tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bark — to shout
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mug — a cup
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. calf — a young animal

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