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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
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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: deal · object · vault · leaves · ball · stock · wind · last

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. stock — goods
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. last — finally
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stock — shares
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — final
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ball — a dance
  24. object — a thing

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