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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · chest · game · leaves · land · toast · squash · racket

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. game — a match
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chest — a box
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chest — of your body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. land — ground
  19. toast — bread
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. squash — to crush
  24. racket — for tennis

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