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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · bark · bass · current · vault · cold · calf · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fine — all right
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bass — the fish
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. vault — a safe
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cold — not warm
  10. current — happening now
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. capital — a city
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. current — electric
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — of water
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bass — low music
  24. fine — a penalty

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