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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. land — a country
  4. prune — to trim
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. land — ground
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. track — a song
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. track — a path
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — to come down

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