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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bat — the animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. mark — a grade
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. current — of water
  11. mark — a trace
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. season — of the year
  15. file — a document
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. current — electric
  18. stock — shares
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. drill — army training
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stock — goods
  24. season — to add flavour

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