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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 116 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: ball · cap · vault · capital · chip · clip · lash · mouse

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cap — of ice
  3. capital — money
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chip — for betting
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ball — a great time
  13. capital — a city
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. clip — a video
  19. cap — a hat
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. clip — for paper

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