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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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 — money
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. file — a tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. swing — music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. branch — a division
  10. file — a document
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. swing — in golf
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fine — all right
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. vault — a safe
  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