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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. object — to protest
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. object — an aim
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. swing — music
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. row — a line
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. court — of law
  13. net — in sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. vault — a safe
  16. row — to paddle
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pound — a weight
  19. net — after costs
  20. court — for sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. swing — to play on
  23. object — a thing
  24. swing — in golf

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