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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. vault — a safe
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bound — tied together
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. capital — a city
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. capital — money
  19. bound — certain
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pound — a weight
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bound — obliged
  24. sharp — clever

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