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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: capital · wave · net · game · nail · mate · cell · vault

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. mate — a friend
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. vault — a safe
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cell — in biology
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. game — a match
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. capital — a city
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. net — after costs
  21. capital — money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. game — wild animals

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