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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · mouse · tube · capital · saw · ball · fan · jam

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. court — for sport
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. court — of law
  11. capital — a city
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a round shape

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