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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.

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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: capital · drill · face · vault · bowl · bat · safe · rush

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. drill — a practice
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rush — hurry
  12. drill — the tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. drill — army training
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. face — to point toward
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bat — for baseball

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