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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spring — the season
  3. net — after costs
  4. land — a country
  5. march — the month
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. march — music
  9. land — to come down
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. staff — employees
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cell — a phone
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — of water
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. march — the month
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. land — ground

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