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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. root — the cause
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cap — a hat
  11. field — farmland
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. root — of a plant
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — for sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. field — a subject
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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