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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 120 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 · wind · rock · kid · fork · mug · vault · swing

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kid — child
  3. capital — a city
  4. swing — in golf
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kid — to tease
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rock — a stone
  13. swing — music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rock — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mug — a face
  23. capital — money
  24. fork — in a road

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