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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: rule · chest · vault · wave · bat · bark · arm · net

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rule — government
  5. chest — a box
  6. net — in sport
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chest — of your body
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bat — the animal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. net — for catching
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. net — after costs
  24. bat — in an idiom

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