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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — of a king
  3. capital — a city
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. capital — money
  7. scale — in music
  8. court — of law
  9. mug — to rob
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mug — a cup
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. court — for sport
  14. mark — a grade
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. last — to go on
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mug — a face
  19. mark — a trace
  20. deal — to handle
  21. last — finally
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. leaves — lets stay

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