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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. capital — a city
  3. court — of a king
  4. band — a music group
  5. court — for sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. court — of law
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a ring
  10. capital — money
  11. rock — music
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rock — a stone
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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