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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 116 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. race — the arms race
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. game — wild animals
  7. hand — in cards
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. game — a match
  10. court — of a king
  11. race — humankind
  12. capital — money
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. court — for sport
  17. capital — a city
  18. bulb — for light
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. race — a contest
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. snap — to click

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