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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. firm — decided
  3. ground — a position
  4. firm — a company
  5. march — music
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. clip — a video
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. march — the month
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. firm — steady
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — in cards
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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