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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · vault · mug · object · net · chest · pit · land

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. object — an aim
  3. net — after costs
  4. object — a thing
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — to come down
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — a safe
  9. chest — a box
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. net — in sport
  12. land — ground
  13. object — to protest
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stock — goods
  17. mug — a face
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. net — for catching
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mug — to rob
  24. land — a country

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