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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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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 · calf · kid · bear · court · squash · pit · mark

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kid — child
  4. pit — in a race
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pit — a hole
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. squash — the sport
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. capital — a city
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. capital — money
  24. mark — a trace

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