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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: nail · chest · stock · current · degree · vault · hand · coach

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chest — a box
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. degree — temperature
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. current — happening now
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. degree — an amount

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