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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. ground — a position
  7. band — a music group
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. vault — a safe
  13. band — a ring
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ground — crushed
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mate — to breed
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bat — for baseball

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