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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. content — happy
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. capital — money
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bank — for money
  18. content — the amount
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. court — of law
  22. fall — the season
  23. court — of a king
  24. capital — a city

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