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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: capital · pitcher · nail · fan · club · mark · vault · rash

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rash — a series
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rash — hasty
  13. club — for golf
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. vault — a safe
  16. club — for dancing
  17. capital — money
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. capital — a city
  22. club — a group
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

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