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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. drill — the tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rule — government
  17. stock — goods
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rule — a law
  22. drill — army training
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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