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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. vault — a safe
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stock — shares
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. court — for sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of law
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. court — of a king
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. toast — bread
  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