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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fine — all right
  5. band — a ring
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. land — ground
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. band — a music group
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fine — high quality
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. land — to come down
  24. chair — a leader

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