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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: wake · court · fan · rock · mug · capital

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. capital — a city
  6. court — for sport
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. capital — money
  9. rock — a stone
  10. court — of law
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mug — a cup
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mug — to rob

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