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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cue — a signal
  5. land — a country
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. land — ground
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. craft — boats
  12. hand — help
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hand — in cards

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