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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. charge — electricity
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fall — to drop
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — ground
  12. prune — to trim
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — in control
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wind — moving air
  21. charge — a price
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — the tool
  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