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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: chest · stick · pitch · stock · track · vault · file · object

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. track — a path
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chest — a box
  8. track — a song
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stock — shares
  12. file — a line of people
  13. track — to keep track
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. object — an aim
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a document

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