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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: dip · capital · rash · vault · wake · board · cold · staff

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. dip — to sink
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rash — a series
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. board — to get on
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cold — not warm
  18. vault — a safe
  19. board — a committee
  20. rash — hasty
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. capital — a city
  23. wake — a trail
  24. staff — employees

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