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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: racket · band · rush · vault · cabinet · hand · capital · chair

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rush — hurry
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chair — a leader
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. band — a music group
  16. hand — in cards
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. capital — a city
  19. hand — help
  20. capital — money
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. racket — for tennis

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