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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rash — a series
  3. plane — a tool
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. capital — money
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. object — a thing
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. object — an aim
  17. rash — hasty
  18. vault — a safe
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. race — humankind
  21. fork — in a road
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. capital — a city

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