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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. squash — to crush
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — to breed
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mate — a partner
  7. shower — rain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. vault — a safe
  11. face — part of the head
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. plane — a tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mate — a friend
  22. shower — to wash
  23. face — to point toward
  24. ground — a position

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