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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. kick — in football
  6. face — to confront
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. face — to point toward
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. shower — rain
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bat — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ground — a position
  22. face — part of the head
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kick — with a leg

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