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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: vault · hide · scale · face · march · pound · toast · straw

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — a weight
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. scale — in music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — a safe
  10. face — to point toward
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. face — to confront
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. toast — bread
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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