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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — happy
  5. rock — a stone
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cue — for pool
  8. content — the amount
  9. stock — shares
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rock — music
  16. cue — a signal
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cabinet — ministers

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