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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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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: bulb · calf · capital · staff · bat · rush · court · pop

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. court — for sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. bulb — for light
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. court — of law
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. staff — employees
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. capital — money
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pop — soda
  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