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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. can — a tin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. can — to be able to
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spring — the season
  11. shower — rain
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wound — an injury
  15. toast — bread
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. can — a tin
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wound — an injury
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. stock — shares
  23. spring — of water
  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