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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ground — a position
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. ground — the earth
  5. firm — steady
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. vault — a safe
  8. firm — a company
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ground — crushed
  14. capital — a city
  15. chest — a box
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. firm — decided
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. capital — money

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