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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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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: court · stand · stem · capital · foot · face · race · perch

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. race — a contest
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. race — humankind
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. capital — a city
  10. face — to point toward
  11. court — of law
  12. foot — a measure
  13. court — for sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stem — to come from
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stand — to bear
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. court — of a king
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stand — on your feet

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