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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. board — to get on
  9. tube — a container
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pound — a weight
  12. clip — to cut
  13. firm — steady
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. clip — a video
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chest — of your body
  23. board — a committee
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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