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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: net · drill · last · stock · vault · saw · mouse · land

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — after costs
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. last — to go on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. land — a country
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. saw — the tool
  14. net — in sport
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. net — for catching
  19. stock — shares
  20. vault — a safe
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stock — goods

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