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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. ground — a position
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cue — for pool
  7. field — for sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. tube — a container
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cue — a signal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. field — a subject
  19. chest — a box
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. field — farmland
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — the underground

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