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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rock — a stone
  5. dip — to sink
  6. capital — a city
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rock — music
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rush — hurry
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. file — a tool
  20. vault — a safe
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. capital — money
  24. file — a document

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