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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: hide · scale · ball · mug · bank · capital · ruler · court

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. mug — a face
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — for money
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. scale — in music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bank — for money
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mug — a cup
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. court — of law
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bank — of a river
  23. hide — animal skin
  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