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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. object — to protest
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. object — an aim
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. content — happy
  18. object — a thing
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  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