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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bass — the fish
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stock — shares
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stock — goods
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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