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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: deal · capital · squash · lie · bark · board · court · calf

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. squash — to crush
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lie — to recline
  6. squash — the sport
  7. capital — a city
  8. deal — to handle
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bark — to shout
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. court — of law
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — for sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — money
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. board — a committee
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. calf — a young animal

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