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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — to tease
  11. vault — a safe
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. roll — a list
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. kid — child
  21. staff — a stick
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cold — not warm
  24. staff — employees

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