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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. last — to go on
  7. chip — for betting
  8. last — finally
  9. ground — a position
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chip — to eat
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cell — a phone
  23. last — final
  24. mark — to pay attention

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