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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 120 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 · ball · track · patient · court · mug · shower · rest

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. capital — a city
  3. shower — rain
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a dance
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. capital — money
  10. court — of a king
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. track — a path
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rest — what's left
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. track — a song
  20. shower — to wash
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rest — a break
  23. mug — a face
  24. patient — a sick person

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