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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: sharp · swing · wound · vault · capital · spring · rule · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. capital — a city
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spring — the season
  6. vault — a safe
  7. spring — of water
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rule — government
  12. wound — an injury
  13. swing — to play on
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. swing — music
  18. rule — a law
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rock — to move gently

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