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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. drill — army training
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. sharp — clever
  14. clip — to cut
  15. drill — a practice
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bulb — for light
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — the amount
  22. chair — a leader
  23. content — happy
  24. 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