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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. race — the arms race
  5. court — of a king
  6. race — a contest
  7. court — of law
  8. degree — from a university
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. race — humankind
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — a box
  24. deal — an agreement

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