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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pop — soda
  3. field — a subject
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. field — farmland
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. pop — music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. vault — a safe
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. field — for sport
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pound — a weight
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitcher — a jug

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