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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 · field · capital · pass · court · branch · last · current

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. current — electric
  3. field — farmland
  4. last — final
  5. court — of a king
  6. field — for sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. capital — money
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. branch — a division
  17. field — a subject
  18. last — to go on
  19. pass — a permit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. last — finally
  22. court — for sport
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. capital — a city

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