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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — to rip
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rock — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stock — goods
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — to dunk

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