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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. club — a group
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. kick — in football
  11. stand — to bear
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bark — to shout
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. club — for golf
  16. vault — a safe
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. ground — the earth
  24. club — for dancing

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