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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. land — a country
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. vault — a safe
  7. land — ground
  8. kick — in football
  9. charge — in control
  10. land — to come down
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. charge — electricity
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. charge — a price
  21. cell — in biology
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cell — in a prison

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