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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: stock · fall · lie · scale · pop · march · date · vault

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — in music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pop — music
  7. fall — the season
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — soda
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — goods
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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