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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lie · spring · capital · court · fan · cap · perch · stand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. capital — a city
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spring — of water
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stand — to bear
  16. court — for sport
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cap — a lid
  20. spring — the season
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. capital — money

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