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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. kid — child
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ground — the earth
  7. present — the time now
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — there
  10. kid — to tease
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — a position
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. present — a gift
  18. mate — a partner
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ground — crushed

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