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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 116 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. stock — goods
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lean — thin
  4. fall — the season
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — shares
  7. fall — to drop
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. swing — music
  12. tube — a container
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. swing — in golf
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. prune — to trim
  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