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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. land — to come down
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. land — a country
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bat — the animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. land — ground
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitch — completely
  18. vault — a safe
  19. roll — a list
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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