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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. board — to get on
  3. clip — to cut
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. vault — a safe
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — a video
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. land — ground
  13. spell — a short time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. land — to come down
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. spell — magic
  18. board — a committee
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spell — letters
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — for paper
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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