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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kid — child
  7. scale — in music
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. kid — to tease
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. fall — the season
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pound — a weight
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. scale — for weighing

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