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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: saw · date · vault · stock · mug · snap · roll · cell

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. roll — a cake
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mug — to rob
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — a safe
  10. date — the fruit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. snap — to click
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mug — a face
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. roll — a list
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stock — a soup base

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