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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: stick · bat · fine · spring · wake · court · capital · mug

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fine — high quality
  4. court — for sport
  5. mug — to rob
  6. fine — all right
  7. capital — money
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. court — of a king
  13. mug — a face
  14. court — of law
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. capital — a city
  20. spring — of water
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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