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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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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: capital · swing · vault · craft · cabinet · chip · face · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. face — to point toward
  3. swing — in golf
  4. capital — a city
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cap — a hat
  7. capital — money
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chip — for betting
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cap — of ice
  17. vault — a safe
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chip — to eat
  20. craft — boats
  21. swing — music
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. face — to confront

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