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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rash — a series
  7. capital — a city
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. net — after costs
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. staff — employees
  15. chair — a leader
  16. degree — from a university
  17. court — for sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. capital — money
  20. bass — low music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. degree — temperature
  23. net — in sport
  24. staff — a stick

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