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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 · fan · march · foot · mine · kick · trunk · court

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. capital — a city
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — money
  7. march — music
  8. court — for sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. court — of law
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — of a king
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. foot — a measure
  22. kick — in football
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. foot — the bottom

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