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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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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: capital · vault · charge · arm · racket · row · wound · ground

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. row — a line
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. vault — a safe
  10. charge — electricity
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wound — an injury
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. charge — in control
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. charge — a price
  20. row — to paddle
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. wound — an injury

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