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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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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. vault — a safe
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. capital — a city
  8. season — of the year
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bank — of a river
  11. object — to protest
  12. saw — the tool
  13. dip — to sink
  14. object — an aim
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. object — a thing
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. capital — money
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bank — for money
  24. season — in sport

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