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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: leaves · board · club · cue · bass · capital · court · saw

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. capital — a city
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cue — a signal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bass — low music
  7. capital — money
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cue — for pool
  11. court — of law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bass — the fish
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. cue — a hint
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. board — a committee
  23. club — for dancing
  24. court — for sport

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