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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. dip — to sink
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — to come down
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — a country
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — for sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — help
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. court — of law
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. fall — the season

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