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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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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: toast · ground · capital · stick · rest · cap · court · plane

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rest — what's left
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. capital — money
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — for sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rest — a break
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. court — of law
  18. plane — a tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ground — crushed
  22. toast — bread
  23. ground — a position
  24. cap — of ice

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