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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. can — a tin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — farmland
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. firm — steady
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. vault — a safe
  18. firm — a company
  19. field — for sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. field — a subject
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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