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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: capital · mug · arm · staff · present · stem · pitcher · court

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of a king
  4. present — there
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — employees
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. court — of law
  12. mug — to rob
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mug — a face
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mug — a cup
  23. court — for sport
  24. present — the time now

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