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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 120 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: vault · spell · stock · pop · fork · firm · kid · face

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pop — to visit
  4. firm — decided
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kid — child
  7. firm — a company
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stock — shares
  11. firm — steady
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stock — goods
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. face — to confront
  17. spell — letters
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pop — music
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fork — to eat with

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