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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 120 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: cap · board · vault · capital · rest · content · net · stem

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — of ice
  3. content — happy
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rest — a break
  6. capital — a city
  7. net — for catching
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — the amount
  14. net — in sport
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. net — after costs
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. capital — money
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. board — to get on

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