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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. rock — music
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rock — a stone
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. land — ground
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. scale — size or range
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — of the year
  14. rash — hasty
  15. scale — in music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — in sport
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rash — a series
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — to shout
  23. land — a country
  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