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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: bat · bound · face · field · stock · capital · rest · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. bound — tied together
  5. capital — a city
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bound — certain
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rest — a break
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stock — goods
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. vault — a safe
  20. capital — money
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. field — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stock — shares

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