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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. capital — money
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. ball — a dance
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bank — of a river
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — a line
  17. bank — for money
  18. vault — a safe
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bank — for money
  24. saw — the tool

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