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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 120 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 · suit · sharp · chest · chip · fork · capital · snap

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. suit — to fit
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chip — for betting
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. capital — a city
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chest — of your body
  14. suit — clothes
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chip — to eat
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. snap — to click
  23. suit — in cards
  24. fork — to eat with

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