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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pound — a weight
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tube — a container
  24. chip — to eat

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