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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pound — a weight
  6. net — in sport
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — after costs
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — a line
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lie — an untruth

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