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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 124 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. vault — a safe
  4. toast — bread
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. tube — a container
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. date — the fruit
  10. tube — the underground
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rest — a break
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stock — goods
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bat — the animal

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