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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · toast · court · mine · capital · vault

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. capital — a city
  13. club — for dancing
  14. toast — bread
  15. vault — a safe
  16. club — for golf
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. club — a group

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