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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: vault · mate · chip · pound · foot · fork · kid · bowl

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. kid — child
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chip — to eat
  19. foot — a measure
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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