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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. land — a country
  7. vault — a safe
  8. last — final
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. last — to go on
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. last — finally
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. land — to come down
  19. board — a committee
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. board — to get on

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