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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: capital · race · branch · drill · vault · chair

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. capital — a city
  10. race — humankind
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. drill — the tool
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. vault — a safe
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest

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