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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: rock · chip · vault · degree · fork · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stock — goods
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fork — in a road
  7. degree — from a university
  8. chip — for betting
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stock — shares
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rock — music
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. degree — an amount

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