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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — ground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — for golf
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cap — of ice
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. land — a country
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. land — to come down
  14. club — a group
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cap — a lid
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cap — a hat

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