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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. degree — from a university
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tube — the underground
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — a match
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rest — a break
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. tube — a container
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pound — a weight
  23. vault — a safe
  24. stock — goods

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