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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 116 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: mark · calf · vault · last · squash · branch · game · capital

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. capital — a city
  3. vault — a safe
  4. squash — to crush
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. last — finally
  7. game — a match
  8. branch — a division
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. last — final
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — a grade
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. mark — a trace

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