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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. shower — to wash
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stock — goods
  6. last — to go on
  7. rock — a stone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. last — final
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rock — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bear — the animal
  21. vault — a safe
  22. last — finally
  23. shower — rain
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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