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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. band — a ring
  6. stock — goods
  7. vault — a safe
  8. band — a music group
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. land — a country
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. stock — shares
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — a trace
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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