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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: ball · track · toast · band · vault · cap · capital · court

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. band — a music group
  2. cap — a hat
  3. capital — a city
  4. court — for sport
  5. ball — a dance
  6. toast — bread
  7. track — a path
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cap — of ice
  10. band — a ring
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. track — a song
  14. cap — a lid
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. capital — money
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ball — a great time
  19. court — of law
  20. track — to keep track
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. court — of a king
  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