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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 120 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spring — of water
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spring — the season
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spring — a coil
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mate — a friend
  23. snap — to click
  24. ground — the earth

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