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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: fine · press · capital · cap · bay · vault

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fine — all right
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cap — a hat
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cap — of ice
  15. press — to push
  16. capital — money
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. capital — a big letter

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