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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. date — the fruit
  5. vault — a safe
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. race — the arms race
  10. drill — a practice
  11. race — humankind
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stock — shares
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. drill — the tool
  19. race — a contest
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. drill — army training
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lie — to recline
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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