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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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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: present · arm · mine · vault · safe · wind · ground · bat

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. ground — a position
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. present — the time now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bat — the animal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ground — the earth
  17. vault — a safe
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. present — a gift
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mine — belonging to me

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