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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: arm · bowl · vault · scale · mug · plane · sharp · stock

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. scale — in music
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stock — goods
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mug — a cup
  20. sharp — clever
  21. plane — a tool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stock — shares
  24. bowl — a football final

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