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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: last · prune · chip · capital · foot · shower · court · vault

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — of law
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chip — to eat
  8. last — finally
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. capital — money
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. last — to go on
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — to wash
  17. last — final
  18. capital — a city
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — rain
  21. court — for sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. court — of a king

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