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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: perch · cabinet · fine · court · capital · roll · mark · firm

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. roll — a cake
  10. firm — steady
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — a grade
  13. court — of law
  14. fine — all right
  15. roll — a list
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. court — for sport
  20. firm — decided
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of a king
  23. firm — a company
  24. fine — high quality

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