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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. object — to protest
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — ground
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. object — an aim
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. object — a thing

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