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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: stock · last · perch · fall · race · chip · mine · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — shares
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fall — to drop
  8. last — final
  9. stock — goods
  10. race — a contest
  11. perch — the fish
  12. race — humankind
  13. last — to go on
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — finally
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chip — for betting
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fall — the season
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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