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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stock — goods
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — a line
  16. root — the cause
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. root — of a word
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rule — government
  21. stock — shares
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wound — an injury
  24. root — of a plant

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