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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. scale — in music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. track — a path
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pound — a weight
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. track — a song
  13. rest — what's left
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. scale — size or range
  17. capital — money
  18. hand — help
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rest — a break
  21. capital — a city
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rest — what's left
  24. scale — for weighing

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