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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wind — moving air
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stock — shares
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. drill — the tool
  18. game — a match
  19. drill — army training
  20. stock — goods
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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