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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: game · craft · degree · vault · pit · bark · bay · snap

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pit — a hole
  3. snap — to click
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bark — to shout
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. degree — an amount
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pit — in a race
  23. vault — a safe
  24. game — a kind of play

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