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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: capital · cell · court · mug · bowl · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cell — a phone
  5. capital — a city
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mug — a face
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mug — a cup
  11. court — for sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rest — a break
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cell — in biology

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