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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
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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: rest · net · vault · date · press · capital · roll · track

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. net — after costs
  3. track — a song
  4. roll — a list
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rest — what's left
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rest — a break
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. press — to push
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — for catching
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — in sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — a cake
  23. track — a path
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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