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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: rock · pound · sharp · court · swing · capital · vault · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. fine — all right
  2. court — of law
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. court — for sport
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. swing — music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — a city
  10. court — of a king
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. swing — in golf
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. rock — music
  19. capital — money
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. swing — to play on
  23. sharp — clever
  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