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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. ball — a great time
  3. net — for catching
  4. court — of a king
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. capital — a city
  8. court — of law
  9. net — after costs
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. capital — money
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. net — in sport
  17. game — a match
  18. rule — a law
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. court — for sport
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. lash — an eyelash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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