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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ground — a position
  3. drill — the tool
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. ball — a dance
  9. vault — a safe
  10. game — a match
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. ground — the earth
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. game — wild animals
  22. drill — army training
  23. land — ground
  24. ball — a great time

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