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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: ground · stock · bat · temple · squash · vault · pitcher · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tube — a container
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stock — shares
  7. vault — a safe
  8. squash — to crush
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. ground — the earth
  11. squash — the sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stock — goods
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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