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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bass — low music
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lean — to bend
  6. toast — bread
  7. kick — in football
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lean — thin
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. dip — to sink
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. capital — a city
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. capital — money
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. dip — to dunk

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