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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rush — hurry
  5. can — to be able to
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spring — of water
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — goods
  13. land — ground
  14. stock — shares
  15. wind — moving air
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. spring — the season
  21. vault — a safe
  22. drill — army training
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rush — to hurry

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