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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: sharp · rule · vault · face · row · can · bark · pop

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. sharp — clever
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. can — a tin
  5. rule — government
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. can — a tin
  10. row — to paddle
  11. can — to be able to
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. row — a line
  14. bark — to shout
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pop — to visit
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. face — to confront
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pop — music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — soda
  23. face — to point toward
  24. vault — a safe

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