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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — a law
  11. sharp — clever
  12. court — of law
  13. fall — the season
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pound — a weight
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rule — government
  19. court — of a king
  20. ball — a great time
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rule — to rule out

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