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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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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: cabinet · stock · clip · snap · vault · kick · temple · land

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. land — to come down
  3. stock — shares
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. snap — to click
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. clip — for paper
  14. land — a country
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. clip — a video
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stock — goods
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. land — ground

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