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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.

Make a worksheet

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: capital · court · squash · pop · pound · bear · key · scale

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — a city
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pop — soda
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. capital — money
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pound — a weight
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pop — music
  19. key — in music
  20. squash — to crush
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. key — for a lock

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