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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 120 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: arm · field · last · deal · mark · vault · staff · stock

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — final
  4. mark — a trace
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — for sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. staff — employees
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — a grade
  13. vault — a safe
  14. field — farmland
  15. stock — shares
  16. staff — employees
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. deal — to handle
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. last — finally
  23. stock — goods
  24. staff — a stick

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