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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: mark · capital · stock · wound · scale · cap · kick · vault

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mark — a grade
  4. scale — in music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stock — shares
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stock — goods
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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