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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: ground · track · coach · capital · file · vault · bound · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. vault — a safe
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. track — a song
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bound — obliged
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. capital — a city
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ground — a position
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ground — the earth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ground — crushed
  17. track — a path
  18. capital — money
  19. track — to keep track
  20. file — a tool
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bound — certain
  24. file — a document

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