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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: capital · chest · pound · march · dip · cue · pop · vault

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — soda
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cue — a hint
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pop — music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pound — a weight
  14. capital — money
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cue — for pool
  18. capital — a city
  19. march — music
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. dip — a sauce

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