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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 · court · nail · spring · calf · pound · jam · toast

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — of a king
  4. spring — the season
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pound — a weight
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. capital — money
  19. spring — of water
  20. court — for sport
  21. capital — a city
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. court — of law
  24. toast — bread

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