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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. firm — a company
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stock — shares
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stock — goods
  10. firm — steady
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. sharp — clever
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. firm — decided
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. plane — a tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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