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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: racket · capital · march · vault · land · staff · press · rest

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. march — the month
  4. land — to come down
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. press — a publisher
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — what's left
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. press — newspapers
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — employees
  19. press — to push
  20. capital — money
  21. rest — what's left
  22. capital — a city
  23. land — ground
  24. staff — a stick

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