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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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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 · bowl · root · stock · racket · bark · deal · chair

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stock — shares
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. chair — to sit on

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