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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. mine — for digging
  3. object — an aim
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fine — all right
  7. court — of a king
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. court — of law
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. charge — electricity
  12. object — a thing
  13. capital — money
  14. wake — a trail
  15. object — to protest
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — for sport
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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