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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ground — the earth
  5. land — to come down
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. court — of a king
  9. prune — to trim
  10. court — for sport
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. court — of law
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — a position
  17. vault — a safe
  18. land — ground
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. land — a country
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. prune — to trim

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