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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. track — to keep track
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cell — in biology
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. rule — a law
  10. band — a ring
  11. track — a path
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rule — government
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a music group
  19. foot — a measure
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. trunk — of a tree

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