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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: bay · capital · wave · vault · temple · firm · net · mine

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. net — after costs
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. net — for catching
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. firm — steady
  16. capital — money
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. net — in sport
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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