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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: board · bat · toast · pop · track · calf · capital · vault

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pop — music
  3. bat — the animal
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. capital — money
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. board — a committee
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pop — soda
  18. track — a song
  19. board — to get on
  20. track — a path
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. capital — a city
  24. toast — bread

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