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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
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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: game · court · capital · bowl · arm · stick · saw · squash

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. capital — money
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. court — of law
  15. capital — a city
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — a match
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — to crush
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. game — wild animals
  23. squash — the sport
  24. court — of a king

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