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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. face — to confront
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rock — music
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. firm — a company
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rock — a stone
  11. clip — for paper
  12. net — after costs
  13. firm — decided
  14. cell — a phone
  15. vault — a safe
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. clip — a video
  20. firm — steady
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. net — for catching
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cell — in biology

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