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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. land — a country
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. drill — army training
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — to come down
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rash — a series
  18. pass — a permit
  19. perch — the fish
  20. land — ground
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. drill — a practice
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cell — in biology

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