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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kick · pitcher · pop · track · key · row · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pop — soda
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. kick — in football
  8. pop — to visit
  9. track — a song
  10. vault — a safe
  11. key — the most important part
  12. row — a line
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. track — a path
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. key — in music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — to paddle
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pop — music

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