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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. face — to confront
  4. fine — all right
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — crushed
  10. present — there
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fine — high quality
  14. present — a gift
  15. vault — a safe
  16. ground — a position
  17. bat — the animal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. ground — the earth
  24. face — to point toward

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