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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 120 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: game · stock · bound · cold · vault · deal · chip · branch

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. cold — not warm
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stock — goods
  8. branch — a division
  9. cold — an illness
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stock — shares
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chip — to eat
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. vault — a safe
  19. game — a match
  20. chip — for betting
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. branch — of a tree

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