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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 116 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: track · chip · capital · drill · fan · vault · field · leaves

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. capital — a city
  4. drill — a practice
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chip — for betting
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. field — a subject
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. track — to keep track
  17. drill — army training
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — farmland
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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