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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. vault — a safe
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. net — for catching
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mate — a friend
  8. dip — to sink
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. net — after costs
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — in sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stock — shares
  24. wound — an injury

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