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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. current — of water
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — to come down
  6. vault — a safe
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mate — to breed
  9. current — electric
  10. clip — a video
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. land — a country
  20. current — happening now
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bear — the animal
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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