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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. land — to come down
  14. vault — a safe
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. game — a match
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tube — a container
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitch — completely
  21. land — a country
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fork — in a road
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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