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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 120 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — of a king
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — help
  5. mate — to breed
  6. hand — in cards
  7. file — a document
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. court — for sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — of law
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mate — a friend

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