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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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Word bank
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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: vault · roll · game · fall · stock · kid · board · mark

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fall — to drop
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mark — a trace
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fall — the season
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. roll — a list
  11. kid — child
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stock — goods
  14. roll — a cake
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. game — a match
  20. stock — shares
  21. game — wild animals
  22. board — a committee
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mark — a grade

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