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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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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 · capital · cell · lean · degree · kick · suit · stand

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cell — in biology
  3. degree — from a university
  4. capital — a city
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. suit — to fit
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — thin
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. capital — money
  17. suit — in cards
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kick — in football
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. suit — clothes
  24. vault — a safe

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