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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: vault · capital · toast · rush · band · snap · deal · sharp

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. band — a ring
  4. snap — to click
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rush — hurry
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — money
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. deal — to handle
  18. band — a music group
  19. sharp — clever
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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