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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: bound · spring · rash · ball · vault · mark · last · capital

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. spring — a coil
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spring — of water
  8. capital — a city
  9. rash — a series
  10. bound — obliged
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bound — tied together
  15. last — finally
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. last — final
  18. ball — a dance
  19. last — to go on
  20. capital — money
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a great time

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