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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 116 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: kid · ruler · vault · race · squash · scale · net · stock

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. net — for catching
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. scale — in music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. net — after costs
  21. race — a contest
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kid — child
  24. net — in sport

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