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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stock — goods
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stock — shares
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. squash — the sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ground — a position
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. squash — the vegetable

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