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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stock — shares
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. present — there
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. field — farmland
  8. present — the time now
  9. rash — a series
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wind — moving air
  15. present — a gift
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — a container
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — hasty
  22. field — for sport
  23. tube — the underground
  24. field — a subject

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