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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: cabinet · date · court · bank · capital · mine · rest · firm

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — a company
  13. bank — for money
  14. date — the fruit
  15. capital — money
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — for money
  18. court — for sport
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. firm — decided
  21. court — of a king
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bank — of a river
  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