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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: vault · spell · capital · march · jam · sharp · spring · roll

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. spring — the season
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. capital — a city
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. march — the month
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spell — a short time
  15. sharp — clever
  16. march — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. march — the month
  22. capital — money
  23. spring — of water
  24. jam — a tight spot

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