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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: deal · vault · ball · wind · suit · mouse · kid · bark

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. suit — to fit
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ball — a great time
  14. suit — clothes
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. vault — a safe
  21. ball — a dance
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wind — moving air

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