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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. band — a ring
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — for catching
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. land — to come down
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. land — ground
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — after costs
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. squash — the sport
  17. shower — rain
  18. squash — to crush
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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