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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. swing — in golf
  3. scale — in music
  4. swing — music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. scale — size or range
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — money
  12. band — a ring
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. land — to come down

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