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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: club · rush · face · hide · capital · cell · kid · vault

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. capital — a city
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. face — to confront
  10. cell — in biology
  11. face — to point toward
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kid — child
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — a phone
  18. capital — money
  19. kid — to tease
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. rush — hurry
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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