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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
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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: pass · court · capital · field · spring · calf · fork · rock

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. rock — music
  6. spring — of water
  7. court — for sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. rock — a stone
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. field — a subject
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. court — of a king
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. court — of law
  17. fork — in a road
  18. field — farmland
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spring — the season
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pass — a permit

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