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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 124 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cell — a phone
  3. staff — a stick
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bass — low music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. staff — employees
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. staff — employees
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pound — for dogs

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