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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 120 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: court · vault · capital · bore · rock · tear · staff · land

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — a country
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — a stone
  14. staff — a stick
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. court — of law
  18. land — to come down
  19. court — for sport
  20. capital — money
  21. land — ground
  22. court — of a king
  23. bore — to tire
  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