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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · craft · fan · court · rest · can · date · board

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. can — to be able to
  3. board — a committee
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. court — for sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. court — of law
  10. capital — money
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rest — what's left
  13. can — a tin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — to get on
  22. court — of a king
  23. rest — a break
  24. capital — a city

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