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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. capital — a city
  3. court — of law
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. capital — money
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. swing — in golf
  8. court — for sport
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. court — of a king
  15. mug — a cup
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mug — a face
  18. swing — music
  19. fine — all right
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fine — high quality
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fine — a penalty

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