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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tear — to rip
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. toast — bread
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stock — goods
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. drill — the tool

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