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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: staff · pitcher · track · stock · drill · lie · perch · vault

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — a song
  4. stock — goods
  5. track — a path
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — employees
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lie — to recline
  10. vault — a safe
  11. staff — a stick
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — army training
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitcher — a jug

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