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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: dip · capital · plane · vault · bat · sharp · can · content

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. content — happy
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. capital — money
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. can — a tin
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bat — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. can — to be able to
  15. sharp — clever
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. plane — a tool
  22. vault — a safe
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. can — a tin

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