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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. roll — a cake
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mark — a grade
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. clip — a video
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. kick — in football
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. kick — with a leg

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