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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 · straw · fine · perch · vault · rule · field · file

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. stock — shares
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. field — a subject
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. field — farmland
  8. rule — government
  9. file — a line of people
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. vault — a safe
  12. field — for sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rule — a law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a document
  18. stock — goods
  19. perch — the fish
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. file — a tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fine — high quality

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