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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: kid · drill · capital · vault · season · kick

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. drill — a practice
  13. vault — a safe
  14. capital — money
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. kick — in football
  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