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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: game · bay · capital · vault · stock · lash · roll · wound

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. game — a match
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. wound — an injury
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stock — goods
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wound — an injury
  17. vault — a safe
  18. stock — shares
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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