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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — the tool
  3. vault — a safe
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chair — a leader
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cap — of ice
  10. band — a music group
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. hand — help
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. stock — goods
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. band — a ring
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — in cards

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