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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. swing — to play on
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bank — for money
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stock — shares
  9. sharp — clever
  10. swing — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. game — wild animals
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. game — a kind of play

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