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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
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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: ball · capital · vault · mark · field · spring · march · scale

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. scale — in music
  3. field — for sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. vault — a safe
  6. field — a subject
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mark — a trace
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. ball — a great time
  13. capital — a city
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. march — the month
  18. field — farmland
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. capital — money

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