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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. roll — a list
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. content — happy
  5. file — a line of people
  6. content — the amount
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. roll — a cake
  12. capital — a city
  13. file — a document
  14. ground — crushed
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ground — a position
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ground — the earth
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. vault — a safe
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — a big letter

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