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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kick — in football
  4. root — of a word
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. root — of a plant
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. root — the cause
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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