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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. scale — in music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. scale — size or range
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bound — certain
  10. spell — magic
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spell — letters
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tear — to rip
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fan — to cool the air

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