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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.

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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: mark · court · jam · capital · scale · toast · craft · game

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. craft — boats
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. scale — size or range
  9. toast — bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. game — a match
  12. capital — money
  13. mark — a grade
  14. court — of law
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. court — for sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. court — of a king
  24. capital — a city

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