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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. hand — help
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. land — ground
  5. cue — a hint
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — certain
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bound — obliged
  12. land — a country
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bound — tied together
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cue — a signal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hand — in cards
  21. land — to come down
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  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