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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. degree — from a university
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lean — thin
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. present — the time now
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. present — there
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. present — a gift
  17. stock — goods
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. date — the fruit
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stock — shares
  23. degree — an amount
  24. vault — a safe

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