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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. roll — a cake
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — to grow
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. row — a line
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. vault — a safe
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. saw — the tool
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. row — to paddle
  17. swing — music
  18. roll — a list
  19. land — to come down
  20. swing — in golf
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. land — ground
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the 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