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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 124 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. craft — a skill
  8. kid — child
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pop — soda
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pop — music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. craft — boats
  21. pop — to visit
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cold — an illness

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