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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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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 · wound · jam · can · bowl · fork · court · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. capital — a city
  7. fork — in a road
  8. court — of law
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. court — for sport
  19. cell — a phone
  20. can — a tin
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. capital — money
  24. court — of a king

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