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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — a series
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ground — a position
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. track — a song
  10. last — finally
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. root — of a plant
  13. track — a path
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. root — of a word
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — the earth
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. root — the cause

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