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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. land — a country
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ground — a position
  12. drill — army training
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. snap — to click
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. drill — a practice
  24. land — to come down

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