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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 · staff · ball · vault · kid · pitch · hide · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitch — completely
  7. capital — money
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ball — a great time
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ball — a dance
  21. capital — a city
  22. kid — child
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. toast — the most admired

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