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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: content · vault · tube · lie · lean · racket · game · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lean — thin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pound — a weight
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lean — to bend
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. game — wild animals
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. game — a match
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. tube — a container
  21. lie — to recline
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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