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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ground — the earth
  5. dip — to sink
  6. net — after costs
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — to get on
  12. net — in sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stem — to come from
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. vault — a safe
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — crushed
  20. net — for catching
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ground — a position
  24. stem — of a plant

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