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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stock — shares
  3. field — farmland
  4. stock — goods
  5. mate — to breed
  6. field — a subject
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — the fish
  12. band — a music group
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — for sport
  17. object — a thing
  18. vault — a safe
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fall — to drop
  22. band — a ring
  23. mate — a partner
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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