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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · land · bear · stock · cold · vault · capital · game

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. land — to come down
  3. stock — goods
  4. cold — an illness
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bear — the animal
  7. land — ground
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stock — shares
  12. game — wild animals
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cold — not warm
  15. capital — a city
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. land — a country
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. game — a match
  24. stock — a soup base

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