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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. clip — a video
  4. land — ground
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. vault — a safe
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. clip — for paper
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. clip — to cut
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bowl — a football final

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