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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: court · dip · season · bay · mate · cue · bowl · capital

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cue — a hint
  3. court — of a king
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. court — for sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. season — of the year
  8. capital — money
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cue — for pool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. season — in sport
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mate — to breed
  19. capital — a city
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. court — of law
  23. mate — a partner
  24. capital — a big letter

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