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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. game — a match
  4. mug — to rob
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mug — a face
  13. ground — a position
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mine — for digging
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mug — a cup
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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