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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: bore · vault · march · hand · safe · season · stock · scale

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. scale — in music
  3. season — in sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — goods
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — music
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bore — to tire

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