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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: kick · bark · pop · season · present · degree · roll · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bark — to shout
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. pop — to visit
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. kick — in football
  10. present — a gift
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — in sport
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pop — music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kick — with a leg

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