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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: capital · jam · last · prune · chip · calf · foot · vault

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. last — final
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. last — finally
  7. foot — a measure
  8. capital — money
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chip — to eat
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. capital — a city
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. vault — a safe
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. calf — a young animal

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