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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 120 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mug — a cup
  5. season — in sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. band — a music group
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spell — letters
  11. mug — a face
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — money
  14. band — a ring
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — of the year
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mug — to rob
  23. spell — magic
  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