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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. ground — crushed
  3. can — a tin
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. season — of the year
  8. rock — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. ground — the earth
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. kid — child
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. season — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. can — to be able to
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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