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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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Word bank
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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: wake · capital · can · pitcher · bore · vault · racket · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. capital — money
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. can — a tin
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. capital — a city
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. can — a tin
  24. jam — in traffic

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