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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 116 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: fine · net · face · sharp · band · kid · capital · vault

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. face — to point toward
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. kid — child
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kid — to tease
  10. sharp — clever
  11. net — after costs
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. fine — high quality
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fine — all right
  16. net — for catching
  17. capital — money
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. band — a ring
  20. face — to confront
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. face — part of the head
  24. capital — a city

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