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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. ground — a position
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. track — a path
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. vault — a safe
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wind — moving air
  11. track — a song
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — a coil
  16. content — happy
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wind — moving air
  23. content — the amount
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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