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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: capital · squash · snap · season · vault · arm · court · mouse

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. season — of the year
  3. capital — a city
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — to crush
  7. capital — money
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — in sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of a king
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. court — of law
  23. squash — the sport
  24. court — for sport

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