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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · mouse · pitcher · cabinet · last · capital · ruler · court

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. court — of law
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. court — of a king
  8. last — final
  9. capital — a city
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. last — to go on
  14. court — for sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. capital — money
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. last — finally

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