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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: hand · rash · pit · mug · capital · season · leaves · court

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rash — a series
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pit — in a race
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. season — of the year
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pit — a hole
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — in sport
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. court — for sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — hasty
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. mug — a face
  24. leaves — lets stay

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