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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. capital — money
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. season — of the year
  6. mug — a face
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. capital — a city
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mug — a cup
  13. sharp — clever
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mug — to rob
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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