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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. land — ground
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cell — a phone
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cell — in biology
  9. land — a country
  10. bore — to drill
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. land — to come down
  21. staff — employees
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wind — moving air

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