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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mark — a grade
  12. present — a gift
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. present — the time now
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. season — of the year
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mark — a trace
  20. game — wild animals
  21. season — in sport
  22. present — there
  23. game — a match
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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