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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bound — obliged
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. season — in sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stock — goods
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — of the year
  16. swing — in golf
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. swing — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mate — a partner

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