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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: vault · firm · temple · capital · patient · can · bat · craft

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bat — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. capital — a city
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. firm — a company
  8. capital — money
  9. craft — a skill
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. can — to be able to
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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