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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 · kid · file · present · lie · vault · stock · game

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — goods
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a match
  9. vault — a safe
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. kid — child
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stock — shares
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. present — there

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