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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. content — happy
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. vault — a safe
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stock — goods
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cap — a lid
  16. suit — to fit
  17. cap — a hat
  18. root — of a plant
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. content — the amount
  22. cap — of ice
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. content — videos and posts

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