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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. dip — to sink
  6. vault — a safe
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cell — a phone
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cell — in biology
  21. plane — a tool
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — goods

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