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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. content — happy
  3. mug — to rob
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. content — the amount
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. shower — rain
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mug — a face
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stock — goods
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mug — a cup

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