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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. suit — clothes
  5. stock — shares
  6. mine — for digging
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — a video
  12. land — a country
  13. fine — high quality
  14. vault — a safe
  15. present — a gift
  16. land — to come down
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stock — goods
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. fine — all right
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — ground

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