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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. vault — a safe
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — for sport
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. foot — a measure
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. field — a subject
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — a position
  24. field — farmland

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