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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stock — shares
  3. rash — hasty
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wake — a trail
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rash — a series
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stock — goods
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — a safe
  21. scale — in music
  22. press — to push
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bear — the animal

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