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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wind — moving air
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stock — shares
  5. root — the cause
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — to handle
  10. last — finally
  11. stock — goods
  12. root — of a word
  13. vault — a safe
  14. craft — boats
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. last — to go on
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. last — final
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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