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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · cue · stick · bark · fall · vault · foot · field

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. field — for sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fall — the season
  12. field — a subject
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kid — child
  15. cue — a hint
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. field — farmland
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. foot — a measure

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