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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 116 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tube — a container
  8. chip — to eat
  9. land — to come down
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. land — a country
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — the underground
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — of water
  22. cap — of ice
  23. spring — the season
  24. spell — letters

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