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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 120 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: kid · fan · vault · bowl · coach · key · nail · capital

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kid — to tease
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. key — the most important part
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kid — child
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. key — in music
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. capital — money

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