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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · content · sharp · fan · capital · bat · vault · chip

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. content — the amount
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stem — to come from
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. content — happy
  12. capital — a city
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. vault — a safe

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