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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stock — shares
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. perch — the fish
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. spell — letters
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. can — a tin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. vault — a safe

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