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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: ground · racket · bank · cell · rule · stock · vault · pitcher

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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. rule — a law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bank — for money
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stock — goods
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cell — in biology
  20. ground — a position
  21. rule — government
  22. bank — for money
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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