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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rash — a series
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. degree — temperature
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pound — a weight
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. vault — a safe
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — for light

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