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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stock — goods
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. snap — to click
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. vault — a safe
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. can — a tin
  18. stock — shares
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. court — of a king
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. net — in sport

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