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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.

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: game · arm · ball · court · fork · mouse · tube · capital

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. ball — a dance
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. court — of law
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. game — a match
  11. capital — a city
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. ball — a great time
  17. court — of a king
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. capital — money
  21. fork — in a road
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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