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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. land — to come down
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. land — a country
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rash — hasty
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. last — final
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rash — a series
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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