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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. capital — a city
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rash — a series
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. face — to confront
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bound — certain
  16. court — of law
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rash — hasty
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stand — to bear
  23. court — for sport
  24. face — part of the head

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