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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ball — a great time
  14. firm — steady
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pound — a weight
  22. face — to confront
  23. chest — a box
  24. vault — a safe

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