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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. fine — all right
  15. spell — magic
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rock — music
  18. rest — a break
  19. fine — high quality
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — rain
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — to wash

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