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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. vault — a safe
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hand — help
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stock — shares
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mug — to rob
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — goods
  18. hand — in cards
  19. land — a country
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. land — to come down

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