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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pit — in a race
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. game — a match
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. last — final
  9. season — in sport
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bulb — for light
  12. season — of the year
  13. pit — a hole
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bulb — for light
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. last — finally
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. land — a country
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. last — to go on
  23. game — wild animals
  24. land — to come down

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