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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bass — low music
  6. kid — child
  7. net — for catching
  8. root — the cause
  9. hand — help
  10. bass — the fish
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. capital — a city
  13. root — of a plant
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. net — after costs
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. net — in sport
  21. root — of a word
  22. capital — money
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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