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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · vault · net · degree · drill · pound · wake · stock

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stock — goods
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stock — shares
  7. vault — a safe
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. drill — the tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. drill — army training
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — for catching
  24. wake — a trail

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