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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ground — crushed
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. shower — rain
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. track — a path
  8. ground — the earth
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ground — a position
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — to push
  15. track — a song
  16. content — the amount
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. content — happy
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. press — a publisher
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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