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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. content — the amount
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. content — happy
  18. bulb — for light
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — army training
  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