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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — the fruit
  9. capital — a city
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — of a king
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stand — to bear
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hand — help
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. court — for sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. court — of law

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