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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. vault — a safe
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — goods
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bound — tied together
  14. net — in sport
  15. craft — boats
  16. stock — shares
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bound — certain
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — for catching
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. craft — a skill

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