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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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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: wake · mug · row · capital · racket · vault · firm · wound

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. firm — decided
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. firm — steady
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mug — to rob
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. capital — money
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mug — a cup
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. row — a line
  14. firm — a company
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mug — a face
  23. capital — a city
  24. racket — a loud noise

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