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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. net — in sport
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. net — for catching
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rule — government
  21. land — a country
  22. net — after costs
  23. rule — a law
  24. cap — a lid

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