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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. hand — help
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ground — a position
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — in cards
  22. roll — a list
  23. sharp — clever
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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