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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. last — to go on
  3. ground — a position
  4. kid — to tease
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — finally
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — crushed
  19. face — to confront
  20. vault — a safe
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. last — final
  24. face — part of the head

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