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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 116 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — of water
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. charge — electricity
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. ground — a position
  8. spring — the season
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. charge — in control
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. charge — a price
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fan — a supporter

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