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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. net — for catching
  2. mate — a partner
  3. vault — a safe
  4. net — after costs
  5. mate — to breed
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — finally
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mate — a friend
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — final
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ground — the earth
  23. last — to go on
  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