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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 116 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: game · current · vault · perch · court · stock · race · bore

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. vault — a safe
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. race — humankind
  7. perch — the fish
  8. court — for sport
  9. current — of water
  10. court — of a king
  11. current — happening now
  12. bore — to tire
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of law
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bore — to drill
  21. current — electric
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bore — gave birth

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