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

Word bank: vault · fork · fall · capital · pop · cue

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fall — the season
  5. capital — a city
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cue — a signal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. capital — money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — for pool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fall — to drop

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