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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: chest · cabinet · sharp · lie · land · board · mine · vault

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. chest — a box
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. board — to get on
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. board — a committee
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. land — a country
  22. lie — to recline
  23. vault — a safe
  24. lie — an untruth

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