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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pound — a weight
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. row — a line
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. row — to paddle
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. plane — a tool
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. row — a quarrel

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