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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stock — goods
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — not warm
  15. vault — a safe
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. shower — rain
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stock — shares

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