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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. vault — a safe
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. row — a line
  6. roll — a cake
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. land — to come down
  9. deal — to handle
  10. roll — a list
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tube — a container
  18. row — to paddle
  19. land — a country
  20. march — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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