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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. cold — an illness
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pop — music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pop — soda
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — a country
  15. vault — a safe
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. club — a group
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. club — for golf
  24. cold — not warm

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