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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ball — a great time
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cold — an illness
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. ball — a dance
  23. drill — army training
  24. vault — a safe

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