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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. vault — a safe
  3. face — to confront
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bass — the fish
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bass — low music
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. nail — for a hammer

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