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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: chair · stock · vault · ball · tear · stick

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stock — shares
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stock — goods
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stock — a soup base

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