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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · land · cell · key · content · present · vault · stock

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. snap — to click
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. land — a country
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. present — a gift
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. content — the amount
  14. land — ground
  15. present — there
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cell — a phone
  18. present — the time now
  19. content — happy
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. land — to come down
  22. stock — shares
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cell — in biology

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