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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. net — in sport
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stock — goods
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — after costs
  20. chair — a leader
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. net — for catching
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stock — shares

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