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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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. plane — in geometry
  4. firm — decided
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bank — for money
  11. firm — steady
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cold — not warm
  14. plane — a tool
  15. vault — a safe
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. land — a country
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bank — of a river
  21. firm — a company
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cold — an illness

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