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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: fine · wound · capital · kick · row · vault · press · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. vault — a safe
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. press — a publisher
  7. row — a line
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. kick — in football
  10. fine — all right
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — to push
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fine — high quality
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fine — a penalty

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