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

Word bank: hand · club · bound · deal · toast · vault · stock · fine

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. club — for golf
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fine — all right
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stock — goods
  9. bound — tied together
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bound — certain
  14. toast — bread
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stock — shares
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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