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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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Word bank
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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: spell · vault · capital · rest · toast · kick

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. spell — letters
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. capital — a city
  5. vault — a safe
  6. capital — money
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. toast — bread
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. spell — magic
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rest — a break
  18. kick — in football

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