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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: coach · drill · vault · pop · stock · cap · race · perch

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pop — soda
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pop — to visit
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. pop — music
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stock — a soup base

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