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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bank — for money
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stock — goods
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. vault — a safe
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bank — for money
  10. plane — a tool
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — the earth
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. can — to be able to
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stock — shares
  22. bank — of a river
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. can — a tin

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