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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. vault — a safe
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. land — to come down
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. staff — a stick
  13. root — of a word
  14. file — a line of people
  15. land — a country
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. root — the cause
  18. land — ground
  19. bass — the fish
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a document
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. staff — employees

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