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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: bay · net · last · stock · bat · craft · vault · ball

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ball — a great time
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — final
  5. stock — shares
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. net — after costs
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. last — to go on
  15. vault — a safe
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. craft — boats
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. last — finally
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. craft — a skill
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. net — in sport

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