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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: row · sharp · lie · present · capital · stem · court · toast

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. court — for sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. present — there
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. row — a line
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. court — of a king
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. court — of law
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. present — the time now
  16. sharp — clever
  17. capital — a city
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. toast — bread
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — a gift

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