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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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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 · pitcher · pop · cabinet · can · court · key · content

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a city
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. court — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — happy
  11. can — to be able to
  12. key — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. key — the most important part
  15. court — of law
  16. content — the amount
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pop — music
  20. capital — money
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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