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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. object — an aim
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — of a king
  12. pound — a weight
  13. field — a subject
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. track — to keep track
  17. field — farmland
  18. track — a song
  19. court — of law
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. court — for sport
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. track — a path
  24. object — a thing

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