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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a hint
  5. net — in sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fall — the season
  11. pound — a weight
  12. net — after costs
  13. vault — a safe
  14. land — a country
  15. cue — for pool
  16. net — for catching
  17. mine — for digging
  18. land — to come down
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. land — ground
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bark — of a tree

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