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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stock — shares
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. object — to protest
  9. hand — help
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hand — in cards
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. net — after costs
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. object — a thing
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fine — all right
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fine — high quality
  20. net — for catching
  21. toast — bread
  22. net — in sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. toast — the most admired

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