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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stock — goods
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. can — a tin
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chest — a box
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rule — government
  14. ground — the earth
  15. can — to be able to
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stock — shares
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. can — a tin
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. ground — a position

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