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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. suit — to fit
  3. drill — the tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. court — of a king
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ground — the earth
  9. suit — clothes
  10. sharp — clever
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ground — crushed
  13. land — ground
  14. vault — a safe
  15. court — of law
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ground — a position
  21. court — for sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. suit — in cards
  24. land — a country

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