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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: bat · kick · patient · saw · arm · stock · vault · fine

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stock — shares
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. kick — in football
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — goods
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. saw — the tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bat — for baseball

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