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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fine — all right
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fine — high quality
  9. hand — help
  10. ground — crushed
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. prune — to trim
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ground — a position
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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