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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 · chest · deal · pop · drill · court · bowl · capital

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wake — a trail
  4. capital — a city
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chest — a box
  7. pop — to visit
  8. capital — money
  9. drill — the tool
  10. deal — to handle
  11. drill — army training
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pop — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. court — for sport
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pop — soda
  24. chest — of your body

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