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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — a country
  5. file — a document
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — to come down
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. firm — steady
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. firm — a company
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — goods
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. firm — decided
  19. stock — shares
  20. file — a tool
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — a trainer

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