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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rest — a break
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stock — shares
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stock — goods
  23. bound — certain
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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