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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. row — a line
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — the season
  7. row — to paddle
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spring — of water
  13. wake — a trail
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. march — music
  18. vault — a safe
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — shares
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — a coil
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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