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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: deal · bark · vault · stock · last · rash · spell · pitch

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spell — magic
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. last — to go on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stock — shares
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stock — goods
  11. last — finally
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bark — to shout
  14. spell — a short time
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — letters
  24. last — final

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