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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cap — of ice
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stock — goods
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — a match
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. stock — shares
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. game — wild animals
  24. clip — for paper

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