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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mine — for digging
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pit — a hole
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. shower — rain
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mark — a trace

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