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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ground — a position
  5. content — the amount
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. content — happy
  11. ground — the earth
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rash — a series
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. vault — a safe
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pound — a weight
  24. arm — part of the body

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