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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — goods
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pop — music
  6. file — a tool
  7. bore — to drill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — to tire
  15. season — in sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — of the year
  18. bank — of a river
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pop — soda
  21. swing — music
  22. bank — for money
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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