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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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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: wind · vault · capital · racket · lash · bore · perch · toast

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. capital — money
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. capital — a city
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. toast — bread
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bore — to drill
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — the fish
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — moving air
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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