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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: racket · capital · can · fork · wound · kid · court · charge

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. court — of law
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. charge — in control
  6. fork — in a road
  7. capital — a city
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — electricity
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — a tin
  15. charge — a price
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kid — child
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. can — to be able to
  23. court — for sport
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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