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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. court — of law
  3. file — a line of people
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — certain
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. court — for sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. vault — a safe
  11. file — a tool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. file — a document
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pound — a weight
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — tied together
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a music group
  23. court — of a king
  24. pound — to hit hard

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