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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. net — after costs
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bore — to drill
  11. net — in sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fine — all right
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. ground — a position
  17. fine — high quality
  18. net — for catching

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