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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. season — in sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — happy
  12. wake — a trail
  13. content — the amount
  14. rest — a break
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ground — crushed
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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