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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 116 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: bark · pitch · race · chip · vault · net

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bark — to shout
  6. net — after costs
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. net — for catching
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chip — for betting
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. net — in sport
  14. pitch — completely
  15. race — humankind
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pitch — a sports field

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