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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: temple · stock · lie · fan · cue · pitcher · vault · net

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. vault — a safe
  9. net — in sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — for catching
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stock — shares
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stock — goods
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. net — after costs
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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