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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — the fish
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. vault — a safe
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — a series
  14. prune — to trim
  15. shower — rain
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. prune — to trim
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — to come down
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ruler — for measuring

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