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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stock — shares
  4. row — a line
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. net — after costs
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stock — goods
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. row — to paddle
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a document
  24. bear — to put up with

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