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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: pop · fall · shower · court · suit · capital · foot · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. capital — a city
  4. suit — clothes
  5. shower — to wash
  6. suit — in cards
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pop — soda
  13. fall — to drop
  14. court — of law
  15. fall — the season
  16. suit — to fit
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. court — for sport
  19. capital — money
  20. court — of a king
  21. shower — rain
  22. pop — music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pop — to visit

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