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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — shares
  9. content — happy
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stock — goods
  17. craft — a skill
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. craft — boats
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. straw — dry grass

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