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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. 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. row — a quarrel
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. land — ground
  4. present — there
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. land — a country
  7. present — a gift
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. land — to come down
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — the time now
  14. game — a match
  15. dip — to sink
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. row — a line
  21. game — wild animals
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stand — to bear
  24. 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