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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. vault — a safe
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ground — crushed
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. club — a group
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. ground — a position

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