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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: court · bay · band · patient · mine · calf · rule · capital

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. capital — money
  5. court — for sport
  6. rule — a law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. capital — a city
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a music group
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rule — government
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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