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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. field — for sport
  3. rash — a series
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — a trace
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rest — a break
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. clip — a video
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — for paper
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. rush — a thrill

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