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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. land — ground
  3. row — a line
  4. content — happy
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. spring — a coil
  9. can — a tin
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fall — the season
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pitch — completely
  15. content — the amount
  16. spring — of water
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. spring — the season
  23. can — to be able to
  24. row — a quarrel

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