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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: season · vault · bay · march · court · staff · capital · fall

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. fall — to drop
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — a stick
  7. fall — the season
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. capital — money
  10. march — the month
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. capital — a city
  14. season — of the year
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. court — of a king
  20. staff — employees
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. march — music
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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