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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.

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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: pop · sharp · racket · vault · pitcher · game · bore · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. capital — a city
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — money
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. game — a match
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pop — to visit
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — to drill
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pop — soda
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pop — music
  24. game — wild animals

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