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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: bowl · cue · mark · bass · capital · spell · vault · lean

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spell — a short time
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lean — thin
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bass — the fish
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bass — low music
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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