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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — of your body
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. stock — shares
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. season — in sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. file — a document
  17. season — of the year
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bulb — for light

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