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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.

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: pass · capital · bound · cue · vault · field · bulb · file

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bound — certain
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. file — a tool
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bulb — for light
  9. capital — a city
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — a subject
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pass — a permit
  19. file — a document
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — for sport
  23. capital — money
  24. file — a line of people

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