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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. shower — rain
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. land — to come down
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kick — in football
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitch — completely
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. land — a country

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