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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. snap — to click
  6. ground — crushed
  7. vault — a safe
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ground — the earth
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. craft — boats
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — the time now
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ground — a position
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. tear — to rip
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tear — from crying

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