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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: foot · vault · object · capital · land · fine · jam · wind

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. land — to come down
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. capital — money
  7. foot — a measure
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. object — an aim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wind — moving air
  22. capital — a city
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. object — a thing

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