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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: vault · roll · court · rule · pit · wave · stock · prune

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — for sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pit — a hole
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. court — of law
  9. vault — a safe
  10. court — of a king
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. stock — shares
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rule — a law
  20. roll — a list
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. rule — government
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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