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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: racket · capital · safe · vault · coach · wind

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. vault — a safe
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wind — moving air
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wind — moving air

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