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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. sharp — clever
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rule — government
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pound — a weight
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. scale — in music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mine — an explosive

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