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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: cap · present · race · foot · stick · vault · band · capital

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. present — a gift
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. capital — a city
  6. present — there
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. band — a ring
  9. cap — a lid
  10. capital — money
  11. cap — of ice
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. foot — a measure
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. band — a music group
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. cap — a hat
  22. present — the time now
  23. race — the arms race
  24. band — a rubber band

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