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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. vault — a safe
  3. land — ground
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. land — to come down
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chair — a leader
  21. season — of the year
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. dip — to sink
  24. season — in sport

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