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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. present — the time now
  3. suit — clothes
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. drill — army training
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ground — crushed
  11. content — happy
  12. vault — a safe
  13. present — a gift
  14. content — the amount
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. field — for sport
  17. suit — to fit
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. suit — in cards
  21. present — there
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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