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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 · scale · pit · capital · dip

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. scale — in music
  5. capital — a city
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fork — in a road
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pit — in a race
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. capital — money
  18. fork — a garden tool

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