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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. present — the time now
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. present — there
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. scale — size or range
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. land — ground
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. season — in sport
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wake — a trail
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. vault — a safe
  18. tear — to rip
  19. season — of the year
  20. land — to come down
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. scale — in music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. present — a gift

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