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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. craft — boats
  5. present — there
  6. date — the fruit
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. present — a gift
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. present — the time now
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pass — a permit
  20. vault — a safe
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. land — to come down
  24. date — on the calendar

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