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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.

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: swing · capital · mouse · leaves · wave · bowl · stock · court

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. capital — a city
  10. court — of a king
  11. stock — shares
  12. capital — money
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. court — of law
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stock — goods
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. swing — music

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