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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pound — a weight
  9. craft — a skill
  10. drill — army training
  11. board — a committee
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. march — the month
  14. board — to get on
  15. drill — a practice
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. root — of a word
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. hand — help
  22. root — of a plant
  23. craft — boats
  24. root — the cause

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