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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — for digging
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bass — low music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. land — a country
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rule — government
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mine — belonging to me

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