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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spell — a short time
  3. capital — money
  4. spell — magic
  5. capital — a city
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — an aim
  9. court — for sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. object — to protest
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. object — a thing
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. content — the amount
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. branch — a division
  19. court — of law
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. content — happy

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