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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: club · rule · cap · spell · bark · vault · mate · field

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mate — to breed
  4. club — for golf
  5. cap — of ice
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rule — government
  8. mate — a friend
  9. field — for sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. club — a group
  17. rule — a law
  18. cap — a lid
  19. field — farmland
  20. mate — a partner
  21. spell — a short time
  22. field — a subject
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spell — magic

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