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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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. bowl — a dish
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fall — the season
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mine — for digging
  13. current — electric
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. land — a country
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. land — to come down
  18. current — happening now
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. vault — a safe
  21. current — of water
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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