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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stock — shares
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stock — goods
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — help
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. land — a country
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. land — to come down
  19. fine — high quality
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fine — all right
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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