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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.

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: lie · game · vault · bat · fan · capital · bear · last

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. last — final
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. last — finally
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. last — to go on
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bear — the animal

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