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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. suit — to fit
  9. land — a country
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chip — to eat
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cell — in biology
  14. shower — rain
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. vault — a safe
  17. land — to come down
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mine — for digging
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — clothes

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