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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 116 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: key · bay · capital · mouse · ground · rock · court · cue

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. key — in music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cue — for pool
  7. capital — money
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rock — music
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. capital — a city
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ground — a position
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cue — a hint
  21. ground — the earth
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. capital — a big letter

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