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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. stock — shares
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — in cards
  5. vault — a safe
  6. capital — money
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stock — goods
  12. capital — a city
  13. bark — to shout
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. net — after costs
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. hand — help

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