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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: net · capital · stock · racket · rest · vault · row · march

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — in sport
  4. march — music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. net — after costs
  8. capital — money
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. vault — a safe
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. row — a line
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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