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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: drill · cue · capital · suit · vault · fan · bat · hand

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a city
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. suit — to fit
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — army training
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bat — the animal

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