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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.

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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: mug · capital · board · patient · bowl · court · band · bore

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bore — to tire
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a ring
  6. mug — to rob
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. court — for sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. court — of law
  13. bore — to drill
  14. capital — money
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a music group
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mug — a face
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mug — a cup

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