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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. vault — a safe
  4. hand — help
  5. ground — the earth
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ground — a position
  8. foot — a measure
  9. row — a line
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — in cards
  14. band — a music group
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. band — a ring
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. row — to paddle

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