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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.

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: pop · dip · row · capital · wake · cabinet · pound · court

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. pop — soda
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. wake — a trail
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. capital — money
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pop — music
  12. capital — a city
  13. pop — to visit
  14. row — to paddle
  15. court — for sport
  16. dip — to sink
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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