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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stock — goods
  6. spell — letters
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bulb — for light
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stock — shares
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — magic
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. drill — army training
  21. bulb — for light
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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