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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: vault · tear · racket · rule · stock · staff

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — a law
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stock — goods
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rule — government
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. staff — a stick
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stock — shares
  18. staff — employees

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