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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. vault — a safe
  3. court — of a king
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stock — shares
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. can — a tin
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stock — goods
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — to come down
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — ground
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. court — of law
  24. calf — a young animal

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