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

Word bank: mate · roll · race · pound · foot · bulb · face · vault

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mate — to breed
  4. face — to confront
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. face — to point toward
  10. foot — a measure
  11. face — part of the head
  12. race — humankind
  13. vault — a safe
  14. race — a contest
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mate — a friend
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. race — the arms race
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bulb — for light
  22. roll — a list
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. roll — on a roll

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