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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. game — a match
  3. charge — a price
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. spring — the season
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — for catching
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. charge — in control
  17. net — in sport
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spring — of water
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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