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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fall — the season
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. game — a match
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cap — a hat
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fall — to drop
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bulb — for light
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bulb — for light

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