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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. content — happy
  4. pit — a hole
  5. board — to get on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. last — to go on
  9. pit — in a race
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. last — final
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. last — finally
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. content — the amount
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fall — to drop
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. board — a committee

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