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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. firm — decided
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ground — a position
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. firm — steady
  11. vault — a safe
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bass — low music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. firm — a company
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ground — the earth
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitcher — a jug

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