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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
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: ball · trunk · capital · court · date · rock · wind · board

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. date — the fruit
  6. board — to get on
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. capital — money
  19. court — of law
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ball — a great time
  22. court — for sport
  23. board — a committee
  24. court — of a king

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