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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: vault · root · swing · suit · last · capital · stock · racket

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. swing — in golf
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. root — the cause
  10. stock — shares
  11. last — finally
  12. capital — money
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. root — of a word
  15. swing — to play on
  16. suit — clothes
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. suit — in cards
  19. swing — music
  20. capital — a city
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stock — goods
  23. suit — to fit
  24. root — of a plant

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