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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: stock · vault · press · hand · toast · swing · current · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. current — electric
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. current — of water
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stock — goods
  7. season — in sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. press — to push
  12. stock — shares
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. current — happening now
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. toast — bread
  19. hand — in cards
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. swing — to play on
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. toast — the most admired

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