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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 120 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: court · content · dip · trunk · wake · drill · ball · capital

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. drill — army training
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ball — a great time
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. dip — to sink
  9. capital — money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. content — the amount
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. court — of a king
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ball — a dance
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. drill — the tool
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — happy
  23. wake — a trail
  24. dip — a sauce

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