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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 124 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bulb — for light
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. field — a subject
  14. chair — a leader
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. field — farmland
  19. stock — goods
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. stock — shares

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