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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rock — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mate — a partner
  9. shower — to wash
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mate — to breed
  13. shower — rain
  14. swing — music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rock — a stone
  21. swing — in golf
  22. vault — a safe
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stock — goods

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