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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. ground — a position
  3. content — the amount
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. content — happy
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ground — crushed
  13. season — in sport
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. season — of the year
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stand — to bear
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. scale — in music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. content — videos and posts

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