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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. stock — shares
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. degree — from a university
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. capital — money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. branch — a division
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. date — the fruit
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. capital — a city
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stock — goods

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