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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. shower — rain
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kid — child
  9. pop — soda
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stock — shares
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lean — thin
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pop — music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. lean — to bend
  23. can — a tin
  24. stock — goods

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