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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. current — electric
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. dip — to sink
  6. vault — a safe
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. current — happening now
  14. chair — a leader
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. current — of water
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chair — to sit on

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