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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. land — ground
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. snap — to click
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fall — the season
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. branch — a division
  13. saw — the tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fall — to drop
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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