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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: vault · toast · land · mate · capital · date · patient · can

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. capital — a city
  3. can — a tin
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mate — to breed
  7. date — the fruit
  8. toast — bread
  9. capital — money
  10. land — ground
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — a country
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mate — a partner
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. land — to come down
  19. mate — a friend
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. can — to be able to

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