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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. swing — to play on
  5. capital — money
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. court — for sport
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. swing — music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. swing — in golf
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fine — all right

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