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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pop — to visit
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — for sport
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. game — a match
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. capital — money
  14. court — of law
  15. bound — obliged
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pop — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — soda
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. court — of a king
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bound — certain

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