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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. net — for catching
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chest — a box
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. land — ground
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. land — to come down
  12. bore — to drill
  13. game — a match
  14. bore — to tire
  15. net — after costs
  16. fine — all right
  17. vault — a safe
  18. net — in sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. game — wild animals

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