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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bass — low music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. land — to come down
  13. sharp — clever
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. cell — in biology
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pop — to visit
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. land — ground

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