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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mate — a friend
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cap — a hat
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. clip — to cut
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pit — in a race
  17. clip — a video
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — a safe
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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