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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — a practice
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. last — to go on
  6. land — ground
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — final
  15. can — a tin
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. drill — army training
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. last — finally
  21. vault — a safe
  22. land — a country
  23. game — a match
  24. land — to come down

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