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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: chair · pop · capital · rock · craft · fall · pit · vault

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — money
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rock — music
  7. fall — the season
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. craft — a skill
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pit — a hole
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pop — soda
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — to visit
  21. craft — boats
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pop — music
  24. chair — a professorship

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