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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 116 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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ball — a dance
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stock — goods
  5. mug — a face
  6. land — to come down
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. present — a gift
  10. degree — an amount
  11. land — a country
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. present — there
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lie — to recline
  16. present — the time now
  17. mug — to rob
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stock — shares
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lie — an untruth

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