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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. stem — to come from
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fall — to drop
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. vault — a safe
  17. stock — goods
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. march — the month
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fall — the season

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