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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stock — shares
  3. toast — bread
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bulb — for light
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mate — a partner
  15. root — the cause
  16. wake — a trail
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. root — of a word
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stock — goods
  24. bulb — of a plant

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