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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tear — from crying
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kick — in football
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. vault — a safe
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chip — for betting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chip — to eat
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. ground — a position
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wake — a trail
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kick — with a leg

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