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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hand — help
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pound — a weight
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cell — a phone

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