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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. charge — in control
  3. game — a match
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. charge — a price
  6. chest — a box
  7. charge — electricity
  8. land — ground
  9. game — wild animals
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. land — to come down
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. drill — a practice
  16. land — a country
  17. drill — the tool
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. drill — army training
  22. chest — of your body
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chest — of your body

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