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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lie — to recline
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — in sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. land — a country
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. land — ground
  15. season — of the year
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bore — to tire
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. vault — a safe

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