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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. spring — of water
  4. current — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chest — a box
  10. spring — the season
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. current — happening now
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. spring — a coil
  17. foot — a measure
  18. current — electric
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pound — a weight
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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