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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: capital · coach · vault · stock · press · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. press — to push
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. capital — money
  6. stock — goods
  7. press — newspapers
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. vault — a safe
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stock — shares
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cap — a hat
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. capital — a city

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