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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: toast · capital · cell · coach · ground · press · wind · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. press — newspapers
  3. toast — bread
  4. ground — the earth
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. ground — a position
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cell — in biology
  14. press — to push
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ground — crushed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. press — a publisher
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. capital — a city
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — moving air

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