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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. land — ground
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fall — the season
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. field — a subject
  12. land — to come down
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitch — completely
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — for sport
  21. land — a country
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. perch — the fish

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