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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 116 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: key · lie · scale · capital · pit · band · vault · wind

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. band — a ring
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lie — to recline
  15. capital — money
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. band — a music group
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. capital — a big letter

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