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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 · court · bound · kid · pitcher · vault · file · firm

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — obliged
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kid — child
  14. file — a document
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. bound — certain
  18. firm — steady
  19. vault — a safe
  20. file — a tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. court — of law

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