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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. object — a thing
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — the month
  10. object — an aim
  11. march — the month
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cold — not warm
  14. object — to protest
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cold — an illness
  17. vault — a safe
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. march — music

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