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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. last — finally
  7. vault — a safe
  8. can — to be able to
  9. last — to go on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. can — a tin
  13. date — the fruit
  14. can — a tin
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. land — a country
  22. last — final
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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