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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spell — letters
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ground — a position
  8. drill — army training
  9. net — for catching
  10. spell — a short time
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. stem — to come from
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spell — magic
  16. net — after costs
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rule — government
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rule — a law
  23. chip — to eat
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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