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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: sharp · capital · cell · vault · arm · leaves · foot · race

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. race — the arms race
  7. capital — money
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. foot — a measure
  12. race — humankind
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — clever
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cell — a phone
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cell — in biology
  23. capital — a city
  24. leaves — lets stay

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