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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. staff — employees
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. season — of the year
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fine — high quality
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — finally
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. track — a song
  22. staff — employees
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. track — a path

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