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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kid — to tease
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bound — certain
  14. land — to come down
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. press — to push
  17. rash — a series
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pound — a weight
  20. press — newspapers
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pound — to hit hard

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