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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bass — low music
  6. kid — child
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cap — a hat
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pit — in a race
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pound — a weight
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stock — a soup base

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