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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 covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — ground
  6. ground — a position
  7. scale — size or range
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. scale — in music
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. land — a country
  16. date — the fruit
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. land — to come down
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. kick — in football
  24. vault — a safe

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