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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: racket · charge · bowl · capital · tear · game · vault · bass

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. capital — a city
  4. bass — low music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bass — the fish
  11. game — a match
  12. charge — electricity
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — money
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. tear — to rip
  20. charge — in control
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. charge — a price

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