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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · saw · mate · vault · field · bass · stock · degree

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. degree — an amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — goods
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mate — a partner
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. degree — temperature
  15. deal — to handle
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bass — low music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. field — for sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stock — shares
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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