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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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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: vault · mine · file · sharp · pop · rock · stock · lash

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rock — a stone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pop — music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pop — soda
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rock — music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. file — a tool
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stock — goods
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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