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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 120 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: leaves · cabinet · content · degree · sharp · vault · bark · race

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. race — humankind
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. degree — from a university
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. race — a contest
  23. content — the amount
  24. degree — an amount

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