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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pop — music
  9. stock — goods
  10. chair — a leader
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — shares
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cold — an illness
  16. game — a match
  17. can — to be able to
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. vault — a safe
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pop — soda
  23. can — a tin
  24. pop — to visit

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