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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: season · pitcher · capital · straw · hand · mark · sharp · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. hand — in cards
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — clever
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mark — a grade
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. season — of the year
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — in sport
  18. capital — a city
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. hand — help
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. capital — a big letter

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