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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. vault — a safe
  4. last — final
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spring — a coil
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spring — the season
  15. last — finally
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. suit — clothes
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. last — to go on
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spring — of water

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