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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: cold · fall · vault · can · last · fine · cell · stock

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. last — to go on
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stock — goods
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — finally
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stock — shares
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. last — final
  19. fall — the season
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fall — to drop

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