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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — a box
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hand — help
  5. vault — a safe
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — shares
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chest — of your body
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fall — to drop
  19. row — to paddle
  20. foot — a measure
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. chest — of your body
  23. row — a line
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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