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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. ground — crushed
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — ground
  6. can — to be able to
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — a match
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — a country
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ground — a position
  18. game — wild animals
  19. field — a subject
  20. lean — thin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. land — to come down
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. field — farmland

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