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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fine — all right
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chest — a box
  5. land — a country
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fine — high quality
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chest — of your body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. court — for sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. court — of law
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. court — of a king
  22. prune — to trim
  23. game — wild animals
  24. land — ground

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