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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 · current · cold · kick · hand · deal · vault · pitcher

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. current — happening now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. vault — a safe
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cold — an illness
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — not warm
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — of water
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. current — electric
  20. hand — help
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. capital — a city
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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