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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: nail · bear · board · vault · race · mark · capital · season

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. board — a committee
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — the arms race
  10. capital — money
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. race — humankind
  13. mark — a grade
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mark — a trace
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. race — a contest
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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