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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. date — the fruit
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. march — the month
  10. toast — bread
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. field — for sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. field — farmland
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stock — shares
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. staff — a stick
  21. vault — a safe
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. field — a subject

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