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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 120 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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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: bay · capital · court · mouse · lie · rest · root · pitch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rest — a break
  3. root — the cause
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — for sport
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. court — of a king
  13. root — of a plant
  14. court — of law
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. capital — money
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitch — a sports field

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