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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: cabinet · tear · court · drill · club · capital · wave · temple

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. court — of a king
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. club — a group
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. drill — the tool
  9. capital — money
  10. drill — a practice
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. tear — from crying
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. tear — from crying
  16. club — for golf
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. capital — a city
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. club — for dancing
  23. drill — army training
  24. tear — to rip

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