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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: vault · wind · bay · snap · present · game · capital · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. game — a match
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. present — the time now
  6. snap — to click
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. game — wild animals
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. present — there
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wind — moving air
  17. present — a gift
  18. capital — a city
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. capital — money
  24. bay — a horse colour

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