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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ground — the earth
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. vault — a safe
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ground — crushed
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. perch — the fish
  18. snap — to click
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mine — for digging
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. perch — for a bird

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