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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. land — ground
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. land — to come down
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. vault — a safe

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