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

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ground — the earth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. tube — the underground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. vault — a safe
  16. ground — a position
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. deal — to handle
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — a container
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pound — a weight

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