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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bass — low music
  3. court — of a king
  4. foot — a measure
  5. clip — a video
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cap — a lid
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. court — of law
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bass — the fish
  18. court — for sport
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cap — of ice
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. foot — 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