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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. snap — to click
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. patient — a sick person

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