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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: ground · hide · bound · chest · stock · vault · toast · rule

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. vault — a safe
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — a position
  8. bound — tied together
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rule — a law
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chest — a box
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — certain
  19. toast — bread
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — shares
  22. rule — government
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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