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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pitch — completely
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mug — a face
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — a weight
  16. vault — a safe
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mug — to rob
  20. tear — to rip
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. tear — from crying
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mug — a cup

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