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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 124 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. game — a match
  10. stock — goods
  11. march — the month
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fine — high quality
  16. squash — to crush
  17. march — the month
  18. can — a tin
  19. fine — all right
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. can — to be able to
  23. squash — the sport
  24. vault — a safe

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