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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. ground — a position
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pit — in a race
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cell — a phone

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