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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — obliged
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — the amount
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. content — happy
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. vault — a safe

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