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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.

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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: cap · mine · board · land · object · lie · stock · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stock — shares
  3. object — an aim
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. object — a thing
  9. land — to come down
  10. stock — goods
  11. land — ground
  12. last — finally
  13. land — a country
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. board — to get on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mine — for digging
  19. object — to protest
  20. last — final
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. board — a committee

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