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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 · spell · vault · board · net · race · game · squash

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. squash — the sport
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — magic
  9. board — a committee
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. game — a match
  12. race — a contest
  13. board — to get on
  14. spell — letters
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stock — goods
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. vault — a safe
  20. race — the arms race
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. net — after costs
  23. squash — to crush
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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