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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · content · firm · bay · wind · game · sharp · vault

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. firm — a company
  5. game — a match
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. sharp — clever
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. game — wild animals
  14. firm — decided
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. content — the amount
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. content — happy
  22. wind — moving air
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. game — a kind of play

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