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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · date · craft · capital · mate · court · fine · roll

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. court — of a king
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mate — to breed
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. craft — a skill
  11. roll — a list
  12. craft — boats
  13. capital — money
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. date — the fruit
  16. court — for sport
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fine — all right
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mate — a friend
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. capital — a city

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