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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: board · pop · lie · vault · pound · degree · chest · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pound — a weight
  3. degree — temperature
  4. snap — to click
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — a box
  11. degree — an amount
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — soda
  14. board — a committee
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. board — to get on
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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