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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. tear — from crying
  3. capital — money
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tear — from crying
  7. capital — a city
  8. vault — a safe
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. suit — to fit
  12. ball — a great time
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. last — finally
  17. suit — clothes
  18. club — a group
  19. ball — a dance
  20. tear — to rip
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. suit — in cards
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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