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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a music group
  13. rush — hurry
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. root — of a word
  17. band — a ring
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pitch — completely
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. root — the cause
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. root — of a plant

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