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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. march — the month
  3. ground — crushed
  4. swing — music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. march — music
  7. kick — in football
  8. snap — to click
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spell — letters
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — the earth
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spell — a short time
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spell — magic
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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