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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — goods
  3. degree — from a university
  4. scale — size or range
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. vault — a safe
  10. current — happening now
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. stock — shares
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fork — a garden tool

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