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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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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: rest · tear · mark · wind · stock · vault · cap · key

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. key — the most important part
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mark — a grade
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. key — in music
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stock — goods
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — shares
  14. tear — to rip
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cap — a lid
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rest — a break
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — a hat
  24. key — for a lock

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