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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: capital · wave · field · court · roll · ball · mark · arm

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. court — of a king
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mark — a grade
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mark — a trace
  8. court — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. capital — a city
  14. roll — a list
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. field — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — a cake

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