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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: club · wound · stock · straw · ball · nail · vault · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ball — a dance
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. vault — a safe
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. track — to keep track
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. stock — shares
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. club — a group
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stock — goods
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — a path
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. club — for golf
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wound — an injury

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