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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 116 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: fall · pit · cue · racket · court · nail · capital · mark

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cue — a signal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. capital — a city
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fall — the season
  10. cue — a hint
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. pit — a hole
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pit — in a race

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