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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 120 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: firm · foot · vault · ball · stock · mine · degree · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stock — goods
  3. firm — steady
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. firm — decided
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mine — for digging
  10. foot — a measure
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ball — a great time
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — temperature
  16. firm — a company
  17. degree — an amount
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stock — shares

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