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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. court — of a king
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fine — all right
  5. capital — a city
  6. face — to confront
  7. kid — to tease
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. face — part of the head
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. court — of law
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pound — a weight
  23. court — for sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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