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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. land — to come down
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stock — shares
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stock — goods
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. bark — to shout
  19. foot — a measure
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. land — a country
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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