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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 120 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 · fork · fall · capital · pop · cue · stock · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stock — shares
  6. cue — a signal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. capital — a city
  9. fall — the season
  10. capital — money
  11. pop — soda
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. shower — rain
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pop — music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fall — to drop
  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