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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stock — shares
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — a subject
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lean — thin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — goods
  24. vault — a safe

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