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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · foot · cold · sharp · vault · stock · cabinet · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stock — goods
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cold — an illness
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. foot — a measure
  16. vault — a safe
  17. sharp — clever
  18. deal — to handle
  19. snap — to click
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. deal — a big deal

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