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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pop — music
  8. perch — the fish
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — a permit
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. land — to come down
  17. saw — the tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. fall — the season
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — soda

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