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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: cap · bass · capital · calf · pop · root · vault · last

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. last — finally
  6. root — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. last — to go on
  11. cap — a lid
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pop — music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. vault — a safe
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pop — soda
  19. capital — money
  20. root — the cause
  21. bass — low music
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cap — a hat
  24. root — of a word

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