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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stock — goods
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — for betting
  12. club — a group
  13. land — a country
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stock — shares
  16. club — for dancing
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. chip — to eat
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. club — for golf
  23. land — ground
  24. staff — employees

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