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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. vault — a safe
  3. ground — a position
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rash — a series
  6. present — the time now
  7. track — to keep track
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. present — there
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — a gift

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