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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: vault · wave · pass · cap · capital · field · net · court

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cap — a lid
  3. capital — a city
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. field — a subject
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. court — of law
  8. cap — of ice
  9. field — farmland
  10. court — of a king
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. net — after costs
  16. pass — a permit
  17. field — for sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. capital — money

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