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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 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ground — a position
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rush — hurry
  7. land — a country
  8. court — of law
  9. land — to come down
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cue — for pool
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — for betting
  15. vault — a safe
  16. stem — to come from
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chip — to eat
  20. land — ground
  21. court — for sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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