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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. land — to come down
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. land — a country
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ball — a dance

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