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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: pit · lie · lash · vault · land · pound · patient · kid

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pit — a hole
  4. vault — a safe
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — in a race
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. land — to come down
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lie — to recline
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. patient — a sick person

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