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

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pit — in a race
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stock — shares
  9. season — of the year
  10. march — the month
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. march — the month
  14. season — in sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pit — a hole
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. coach — a trainer

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