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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spring — a coil
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. object — a thing
  12. spring — the season
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spring — of water
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. object — an aim
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wake — a trail
  23. object — to protest
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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