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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: present · capital · pass · vault · swing · club · rash · cold

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rash — a series
  3. cold — an illness
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. swing — to play on
  8. present — a gift
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — in golf
  11. capital — a city
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pass — a permit
  20. swing — music
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. club — for golf
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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