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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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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 · rule · hide · capital · mate · stock

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — a city
  3. rule — government
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rule — a law
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — money
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mate — a friend
  18. vault — a safe

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