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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: bat · vault · club · wound · chip · coach · capital · date

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. capital — money
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. club — for golf
  10. date — the fruit
  11. chip — for betting
  12. club — for dancing
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. capital — a city
  15. vault — a safe
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. club — a group

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