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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. face — to confront
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. face — part of the head
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. vault — a safe
  8. prune — to trim
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — a permit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pound — a weight
  15. ground — a position
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. ground — the earth

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