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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chest — of your body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. present — the time now
  5. court — of law
  6. chest — a box
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. file — a document
  10. present — a gift
  11. capital — a city
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — for sport
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. present — there
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cap — a hat
  24. court — of a king

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