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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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Word bank
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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: hand · game · pound · scale · track · face · vault · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — help
  3. scale — in music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. track — a path
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. face — to point toward
  12. game — a match
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pound — a weight
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. track — a song
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. vault — a safe
  21. face — to confront
  22. scale — size or range
  23. track — to keep track
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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