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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. capital — a city
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. vault — a safe
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — for betting
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. capital — money
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. hand — in cards
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. press — to push
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. toast — bread
  17. press — newspapers
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stem — to come from
  23. toast — the most admired
  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