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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. field — for sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cue — a hint
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. field — a subject
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. date — the fruit
  24. ground — a position

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