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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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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: vault · snap · bass · capital · stock · foot · last · pound

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. capital — a city
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. snap — to click
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stock — shares
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bass — low music
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. last — finally
  22. stock — goods
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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