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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. charge — a price
  8. spring — the season
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ground — a position
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. key — for a lock
  14. spring — a coil
  15. key — in music
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. spring — of water
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — in control
  23. key — the most important part
  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