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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — the earth
  9. present — a gift
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ground — a position
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. present — the time now
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stock — shares
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. present — there

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