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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: stock · rule · face · club · root · vault

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. club — a group
  6. stock — shares
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. club — for dancing
  9. face — part of the head
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. club — for golf
  12. root — of a word
  13. stock — goods
  14. vault — a safe
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. root — the cause
  18. face — to confront

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