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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · stand · court · capital · scale · arm · ground · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. stand — to bear
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. ground — a position
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ground — the earth
  17. capital — a city
  18. court — of law
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. capital — money
  24. court — of a king

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