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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: press · vault · track · bass · sharp · capital · date · suit

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bass — the fish
  4. capital — a city
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. track — a path
  7. vault — a safe
  8. press — newspapers
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. press — to push
  14. sharp — clever
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. press — a publisher
  17. suit — to fit
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. capital — money
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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