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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. land — to come down
  5. net — after costs
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fork — in a road
  11. march — the month
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bat — the animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. deal — to handle
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. land — a country
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. march — music

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