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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: bat · stock · content · vault · rush · bass · fine · plane

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bass — the fish
  3. content — happy
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stock — shares
  8. content — the amount
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bass — low music
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rush — hurry
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stock — goods
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fine — all right

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