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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 116 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. bat — the animal
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wake — a trail
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bat — in an idiom

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