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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. prune — to trim
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. board — to get on
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. board — a committee
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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