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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lean — to bend
  4. land — to come down
  5. game — a match
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — a country
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. land — ground
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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