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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. degree — an amount
  9. net — after costs
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — temperature
  12. vault — a safe
  13. stock — shares
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — in sport
  16. degree — from a university
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. court — of law
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. net — for catching
  23. court — of a king
  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