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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ground — a position
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mine — an explosive

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