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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. file — a document
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. row — a line
  9. dip — to sink
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — help
  16. pound — a weight
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kick — in football
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. file — a line of people
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. file — a tool

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