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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: board · wind · racket · present · capital · bass · vault · kid

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. board — to get on
  3. present — there
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. kid — child
  8. vault — a safe
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. capital — money
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. board — a committee
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. capital — a city
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kid — to tease
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wind — moving air

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