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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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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: march · arm · spell · land · stock · squash · game · vault

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spell — a short time
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. squash — to crush
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spell — magic
  15. stock — goods
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. march — the month
  20. land — to come down
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spell — letters
  23. stock — shares
  24. march — music

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