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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. prune — to trim
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mate — a partner
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. prune — to trim
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rock — music
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mate — to breed
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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