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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: cue · can · foot · capital · wind · court · bark · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cue — a hint
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cue — a signal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. court — of a king
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. court — for sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. court — of law
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. cue — for pool
  24. foot — the bottom

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