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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. vault — a safe
  6. shower — to wash
  7. staff — employees
  8. rock — music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. shower — rain
  13. staff — employees
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. file — a tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. staff — a stick
  19. file — a document
  20. tube — a container
  21. file — a line of people
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stand — for spectators
  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