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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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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: date · wound · bay · club · mine · capital · court · cell

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. capital — money
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. court — of a king
  9. capital — a city
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — a group
  13. court — of law
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cell — in biology
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. court — for sport
  20. club — for golf
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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