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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — a partner
  10. stock — goods
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. vault — a safe
  19. scale — in music
  20. stock — shares
  21. mate — to breed
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fine — all right

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