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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. degree — from a university
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fall — the season
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rush — hurry
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — certain
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — temperature
  20. kid — child
  21. fall — to drop
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rush — to hurry

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