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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · stock · vault · mark · row · land · cabinet · current

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. current — electric
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mark — a grade
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — of water
  15. row — to paddle
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. current — happening now
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. row — a line
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — a trace

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