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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: stock · ground · bowl · mouse · vault · track · nail · press

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ground — a position
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stock — goods
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. press — newspapers
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. ground — crushed

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