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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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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: ground · perch · bark · march · race · chest · vault · lie

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chest — of your body
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. march — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ground — the earth
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — crushed
  14. race — a contest
  15. perch — the fish
  16. race — humankind
  17. chest — a box
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. march — the month
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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