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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: bound · object · fall · vault · rush · capital · fork · snap

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bound — obliged
  3. capital — a city
  4. fork — in a road
  5. capital — money
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bound — tied together
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bound — certain
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. fall — the season
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. object — an aim
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. snap — to click

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