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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: jam · scale · land · stock · net · hand · kick · vault

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — help
  3. net — in sport
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. kick — in football
  9. net — after costs
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stock — goods
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. net — for catching
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. land — ground
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. stock — shares
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. kick — with a leg

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