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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. swing — to play on
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. staff — employees
  12. swing — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spell — magic
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kid — child
  22. swing — in golf
  23. vault — a safe
  24. spell — letters

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