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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. club — a group
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — music
  9. capital — a city
  10. track — to keep track
  11. capital — money
  12. track — a path
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rash — a series
  15. pop — soda
  16. track — a song
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. branch — a division
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rash — hasty
  21. vault — a safe
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — of a bank

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