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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: capital · spring · can · track · season · cabinet · court · bat

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spring — of water
  3. track — to keep track
  4. court — of a king
  5. capital — a city
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — in sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. season — of the year
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. court — of law
  15. capital — money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. track — a song
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a path
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. spring — the season

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