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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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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 · chest · stem · deal · bore · sharp · mark · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bore — to tire
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bore — to drill
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chest — of your body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chest — a box
  18. mark — a trace
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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