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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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Word bank
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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: bark · face · pop · sharp · court · bound · straw · vault

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — of a king
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — for sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pop — soda
  14. court — of law
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — certain
  18. pop — to visit
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pop — music
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. sharp — exactly

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