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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: capital · trunk · row · perch · bowl · firm · board · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. row — to paddle
  4. capital — money
  5. firm — steady
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. firm — decided
  8. board — to get on
  9. firm — a company
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. court — of a king
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — a committee
  16. perch — the fish
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. row — a line
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of a tree

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