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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. clip — a video
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. season — of the year
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wound — an injury
  13. season — in sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lean — thin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bore — to drill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — from a university
  22. clip — to cut
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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