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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stock — shares
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bound — tied together
  9. band — a music group
  10. rest — a break
  11. bound — obliged
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stock — goods
  14. chest — a box
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bound — certain
  18. band — a ring
  19. hand — help
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chest — of your body

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