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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · mine · racket · capital · mug · ball · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. land — a country
  8. mug — to rob
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. land — ground
  12. ball — a great time
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mug — a face
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mine — for digging

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