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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. land — ground
  3. key — in music
  4. hand — help
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. kick — in football
  15. bat — the animal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — the most important part
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hand — in cards

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