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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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 — a big letter
  2. mug — a face
  3. court — of law
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — the season
  7. bank — for money
  8. capital — money
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mug — to rob
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a city
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mug — a cup
  17. spring — of water
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rash — a series
  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