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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fall — to drop
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. stock — shares
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. scale — in music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mug — a cup
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. mug — a face
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fall — the season
  24. scale — size or range

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