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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: foot · vault · chest · sharp · land · current · fall · pound

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. current — happening now
  8. pound — a weight
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — electric
  13. chest — of your body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. current — of water
  16. chest — a box
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fall — the season
  20. land — a country
  21. sharp — clever
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. sharp — exactly

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