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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 116 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: stock · pass · nail · cold · sharp · vault

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pass — a permit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stock — shares
  5. cold — an illness
  6. vault — a safe
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pass — to spend time

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