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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · vault · spell · ball · pitcher · face · ground · kid

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. vault — a safe
  4. spell — letters
  5. kid — child
  6. face — to confront
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. spell — a short time
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spell — magic
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ground — the earth
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ground — a position
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. jam — a tight spot

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