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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. shower — to wash
  4. field — farmland
  5. land — to come down
  6. rest — a break
  7. race — a contest
  8. field — a subject
  9. rest — what's left
  10. craft — a skill
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. shower — rain
  14. mark — a grade
  15. race — humankind
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. race — the arms race
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. field — for sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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