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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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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: fine · stock · cap · content · perch · kid · bowl · vault

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cap — a hat
  3. kid — child
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kid — to tease
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stock — goods
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stock — shares
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fine — all right
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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