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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. last — final
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. ground — a position
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wind — moving air
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wind — moving air
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. ball — a dance
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. last — to go on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — finally
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. shower — to wash

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