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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: spring · pass · clip · ruler · net · capital · land · vault

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. capital — money
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. clip — a video
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. clip — to cut
  7. land — ground
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. spring — of water
  12. capital — a city
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. net — in sport
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pass — a permit
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. clip — for paper
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. land — to come down
  24. pass — to succeed

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