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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. court — for sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rest — a break
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. scale — in music
  9. court — of law
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — goods
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. track — a path
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. press — to push
  20. court — of a king
  21. press — newspapers
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stock — shares
  24. fan — a supporter

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