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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cabinet · pop · lash · scale · capital · court · temple · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. capital — a city
  6. pop — soda
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. court — of a king
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. scale — size or range
  11. court — for sport
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. capital — money
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of law
  18. scale — in music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cabinet — ministers

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