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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. capital — money
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. capital — a city
  13. court — of law
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. staff — employees
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — a tool
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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