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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pit — in a race
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. net — in sport
  7. pit — a hole
  8. net — for catching
  9. mug — a face
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — a safe
  15. net — after costs
  16. spring — of water
  17. craft — boats
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stock — goods
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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