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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. tube — a container
  4. club — a group
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — a country
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. club — for dancing
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ground — crushed
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. ground — a position
  15. land — to come down
  16. scale — in music
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. scale — size or range
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ground — the earth
  24. club — for golf

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