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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. board — to get on
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. saw — the tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cue — for pool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cue — a signal
  19. board — a committee
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pound — a weight
  24. vault — a safe

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